5th Grade Writing

FROM GREG'S 5th GRADE WRITER'S & COMMUNICATIONS ARTS NOTEBOOKS

Important Things

There are lots of things that are important to me. One of the most important is my family. Then there's movies because I love watching a good movie. Then probably there's my my toys and my house.

I play with toys all the time, and I don't know what I'd do without my house. Next there's cars and books. Finally, there is America.

I love my family because they help me when I'm in a bad situation and love me. I love movies because they're so entertaining. My toys and my house are important because toys are what you play with and entertain you, and your house is where you live and where you feel safe.

Then I like cars and books because cars are things that go through progress; they are always improving. And books are full of magic and detail.

I love America because is the land of the free.

Some of these things I think are essential and others you like for your own interest. But they are all important to me.

Movies

Do you know what I love about movies? If you don't, I'll tell you: I love the smell of popcorn, the experience of watching the previews and then the opening credits of the movie, staring in complete awe at a "money shot" or an incredible stunt, listening to a great line like "I'll be back" or "The name's Bond, James Bond." But my favorite thing is knowing the facts: the studio, the cast, the crew, and the director.

My favorite is the great Steven Spielberg, director of great movies like: all of the Indiana Jones movies, The Terminal, E.T., Jurassic Park, Saving Private Ryan and Jaws. One of the reasons I love his work so much is that every one of his movies has a lesson of some sort. That's why I like his work.

Someday, I'd like to be a director.

In order to make a stop-action movie, you will need to know a few things. First, there are the 10 steps:

1. Get a video camera that can pause in the middle of filming.
2. Get a set of Legos or clay for your stop-actors.
3. Write a script with a lot of movement.
4. Build a set.
5. Start filming.
6. Watch the movie.
7. Show your friends.
8. Show your parents.
9. Hope they'll like it.
10. Make sequels!

But in this process of filming, you might have some problems. Here are some tips to keep you from running into them. Maybe you could get a special movie-making program [software] that allows you to add opening and end credits or special effects. If you have trouble thinking up a script, spoofs are always a good idea. If your movie requires a lot of time and effort to make, call a friend to see if he wants to help.

Before you know it, you've made your movie! It may seem like a little now, but you'll see that it's only the start of a chain of Academy Awards.

Block Island

Block Island to me is like heaven. It's like heaven because of the atmosphere. It has beautiful sunsets, great restaurants, true beaches, fun sports and beautiful houses. It always smells like the ocean and the food being cooked nearby.

It looks like the antidote to civilization. It sounds like the ocean. If you go like I do, when you get there you feel at home.

The absolute worst thing about Block Island is the ferry ride home. I loooooooooooooove B.I.

Heidi

I love my dog, Heidi. She's really friendly, cute and does the coolest things. But she can be a pest. Once she was running to get a toy, brought it back to me and we played tug-of-war with it. I won, and the moment I pulled it out of her mouth, she jumped up and tore a part of my pants off.

Another time she and my Dad were playing fetch. My Dad was sitting down and he threw a toy. Heidi cam back and jumped on a place that made my Dad talk with a high voice. But she's still a great dog no matter how many of my pants she ruins.

In December

In December the green grass grows into white-as-silk snow. Families and friends gather round the fire, drinking cocoa and telling stories.

In December the cities and houses warm up with holiday lights and magic. The children make their wish lists for Chanukah and Christmas.

In December the animals hibernate and head for the south and 2004 becomes 2005.

I Hate It When

I hate it when people say my opinion is so wrong. After all, it is MY opinion. When I saw that I disagree with someone's opinion, I say, "I thought that ____ was not very good" or something like that.

Once, I said that I thought the book Frindle was a great book, and my friends said it looked stupid. They judged the book by its cover! Everyone's entitled to their own opinion.

Where are they?

Where are they? What happened to them? Not a single superhero in sight! What an odd thing to see! Only the police can save the day.

But wait! Oh no! An incredibly good-looking car just sped by with a bag of large diamonds! Who can save us now? But wait! Who is that? "It's a bird! It's a plane!" "It's some guy in tights!"

"No, I'm Captain Incredible, and I'm here to stop that incredibly good-looking car that just sped by with the diamonds."

Yay! And so, Captain Incredible is running toward the car. Then he jumps onto the car, and he makes it! He's breaking the windows, he's in the car, and he hits the crook! OOoooooh! That's gotta hurt.

Our new man of justice has save the day! Hip Hip Hooray!

The Continuing Adventures of Captain Incredible

Complete darkness has fallen over the city. Criminals rule. But there is one man who can still save the day!

"Is it Santa Claus?" NO!

"Is it Arnold Schwarzenegger?" NO!

"Is it Homer Simpson?" NO!

It's the amazing, incredible man in tights: Captain Incredible!

Making Movies . . .

The other day I was shooting a movie with my friend Krishan. As usual, we filmed a scene, got bored and decided "procrastinate," as he says. We do all kinds of things when we procrastinate. We play catch, we watch TV, etc.

And then we come back to it and we film another scene. The procrastinate some more.

Funny how we do that, isn't it?

My Hat

Some of you have probably seen the Yankee hat I wear every day. I love that hat like I love my dog. If I couldn't find my hat it would be a sign of the Apocalypse. It would be the Apocalypse if I lost it!

Now, I know what you're thinking: "What a looney tune this guy is." But I'm not kidding. If I lost my hat, it would be bad. I'm talking tidal waves, twisters, earthquakes, lava flows, giant monsters, hail the size of cars, invaders from Mars taking over the world, lightning, thunder, World War III, cats and dogs — living together in peace and harmony!

So, to put that more simply, if I lost my hat it would be the sad and dark end of the world. So, do you still think I'm crazy?

Lego Studios

For Christmas this year, my parents got me Lego Studios. I love it. It's a Lego set that looks like a real movie set, only it comes with a Web video camera with a Lego shell surrounding it, and it has a software program [to help shoot and edit movies].

It's so much fun to tinker with. You can do sounds, visuals, subtitles.

So far, I've made 6 movies. My best movie is The George Bush Story. In it, he is a boy hero, a secret agent and a movie star. It's really funny. The only bad thing is that when he is a movie star, it shows what movies he was in. Now I have to make them all. Well, actually, that's not a bad thing, cause it means more Lego Studios!